Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton’s chief of staff Tina Smith used a Wednesday speech with St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce members to stress where the DFL governor agrees with the business community — rather than his proposed income tax hike on the wealthy.

Dayton assistant stresses support for business

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton’s chief of staff Tina Smith used a Wednesday speech with St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce members to stress where the DFL governor agrees with the business community — rather than his proposed income tax hike on the wealthy.

Smith cited the governor’s support of a St. Paul Saints stadium in the city’s Lowertown area, his desire to invest more in mass transit and transportation, his proposed budget’s focus on improving education, and his efforts to streamline environmental permitting in the state.

Dayton “deeply respects” the business community, said Smith, who said she was speaking in the governor’s stead because he was becoming a grandfather for the first time. (A Dayton spokeswoman confirmed the governor’s son Eric and his wife, Cornelia (Cory) Dayton, were the parents-to-be.)

Smith also said, “The budget is about investments, but the budget is also about numbers and how the numbers pan out.”

Dayton has backed away from his proposal to extend the state’s sales tax to cover business services. But he is sticking by his proposal to raise the state income tax rate by 2 percentage points on the top 2 percent of earners. The higher tax would generate an extra $1.1 billion over two years.

Smith argued that after a decade of continual spending cuts, the state government needs more money to ensure “state of innovation and excellence.” She disagreed with the notion that state government spending is out of control.

During the question-and-answer session at the end of the talk, Matt Kramer, the St. Paul Area Chamber’s president, asked Smith for an update on her efforts on behalf of the governor to assist Mayo Clinic in its effort to win a multimillion dollar fund to spruce up infrastructure around its main Rochester campus.

Dayton asked Smith to promote support for Mayo Clinic after the proposed $585 million economic development fund raised questions among some state lawmakers.

“The governor really believes that the Mayo Clinic is a jewel. … And what the governor has asked me to do is just to do everything I can think of to bring people together to make sure they come up with a solution that works for Mayo Clinic, that works for Rochester, and that works for the state,” Smith said.